Posts in Mobile Phones
Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Watch coming
Juniper Foo | Sep 28, 2006
Wanna own a Sony Ericsson-branded watch? Well, no, the Swedish-Japanese partnership isn't diversing into timepieces (yet). Instead, the company is exploring other vehicles aimed at adding "extra dimensions to your mobile life". In this case, a Bluetooth-enabled Quartz timepiece that, by the way, tells time just like any regular wristwatch.
So what, you wonder, would you need Bluetooth in a wristwatch for? According to the media release, the MBW-100 is designed to enable control of your phone's music right from your wrist, from Play to Pause and Skip. Although given that your phone has to be close enough for playback through the loudspeakers to be effective, this isn't so much a useful feature as a nifty idea.
Probably more handy is the watch's ability to alert you to who's calling, with the Caller ID displayed on an OLED panel beneath the watch place. And if it's someone you'd rather not connect with at the moment, there's a helpful reject button. There's also an SMS/MMS alert feature.
Specs-wise, this timepiece is rated for a standby Bluetooth time of up to seven days, analog time-keeping of up to seven additional days, and is compatible with the Sony Ericsson K610, K610i, K618, K790, K800, V630, W710, W850, Z610 and Z710. It's also resistant for up to 30m.
The company had a little help from watch maker Fossil in coming out with analog timepiece. The 187g MBW-100 isn't going to win any design prizes, and it's too chunky to appeal to the female demographic. However, if you fancy being well-connected, the good news is the MBW-100 will be shipping to Asia in Q4. No local pricing was given, but Sony Ericsson has priced it at about 300 euros (US$381). Available in silver, with limited editions in black.
Meanwhile, in for a penny, in for a pound. Besides lending a hand, or wrist, with the MBW-100, Fossil will be introducing its Abacus MobileWear and Fossil Caller ID watches. These will seamlessly link to most of Sony Ericsson Bluetooth-enabled phones. No further details were available on these at press time.
Click here for more information on Sony Ericsson's latest handsets and accessories.
Sony Ericsson unveils the W830i, K320i and Z558i
Reuben Lee | Sep 28, 2006
The Japanese-Swedish mobile maker today announced three new handsets--the W830i slider, K320i candy bar and Z558i clamshell--for the Asian market. The W830i slider offers a similar design and features as the W850i announced earlier, but sheds the onboard 3G for EDGE support. According to the company, the W830i will be configured out-of-the-box for the PlayNow 3.0 direct music download service which features Sony BMG artists as well as operator over-the-air (OTA) music download services.
The Z558i is the first non-Symbian handset from Sony Ericsson to sport a touchscreen with Chinese, Thai and English text recognition. It also comes with one-touch SMS access, 262K-color screen, a memory expansion slot and 1.3-megapixel camera. Finally, the K320i is a triband model designed for both work and play, with features such as automatic Bluetooth pairing, PC synchronization and support for push email. Also onboard are a camera and media player.
The three new phones are due to roll out in the fourth quarter of 2006 in selected markets. Get the full coverage of the new handsets here.
Treo 750v coming soon to Asia 
Reuben Lee | Sep 28, 2006
The wait is finally over. Palm users in Asia who have been awaiting eagerly since the beginning of the year for the company to introduce its Windows Mobile-based Treo will soon be able to lay their hands on the Treo 750v in October. Introduced recently in Europe, the new smart phone Treo is Palm's first handheld to sport Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 handheld operating system as well as UMTS/3G connectivity in Asia.
While the 750v looks very much similar to the 700w handheld launched earlier in the US, one distinct feature separates the two. Palm has finally opted to drop the stubby external antenna in the case of the 750v, giving it a cleaner design profile. Other features found on the 750v include a 1.3-megapixel camera, QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth and a 240 x 240-pixel touchscreen display. Mobile users hoping to use the Treo at hotspots will, however, be disappointed as Wi-Fi is once again omitted from the feature lineup. The good news, though, is that users have the option to add Wi-Fi using a third-party miniSD wireless LAN card via the onboard SDIO slot.
According to Palm, Singapore will be the first Asian country to launch the Treo 750v. It is expected to be available from the first week of October from local mobile operator M1 and selected retail outlets, after which the handheld will be gradually rolled out in other Asian countries over the next few months. Get more of our first impressions of the Treo 750v smartphone here.
Nokia 5300: Music phone for the masses
Reuben Lee | Sep 27, 2006
Following the launch of the new N-series handsets, the Finnish mobile phone maker turns its focus on the mainstream music crowd with three new cellular offerings--the 5300 XpressMusic, 5200 and a revamped 3250 XpressMusic. These were unveiled at the Music Connects event held for regional press in Manila.
Taking the spotlight at the show was the 5300 XpressMusic phone, a compact triband slider with dedicated music control buttons (beside the screen), a 1.3-megapixel camera, FM radio (with Visual Radio) and microSD expansion slots (supporting up to 2GB). The 5200, an entry-level version of the 5300 XpressMusic, also sports a similar slider form factor but offers a lower-resolution camera, single music access key and a bundled 256MB card. As for the new 3250 XpressMusic, Nokia has given it a color makeover while throwing a 1GB microSD card into the box. The expandable memory slot is able to support up to 2GB microSD flash media.
All three handsets are slated for a Q4 launch. You can read more about them in our Music Connects coverage .
InstantMoto
Juniper Foo | Sep 27, 2006
The rest of the world still has a long, long way to catching up with Japan's vending machine culture. But we're slowly getting there. Going under the Zoom Shops franchise, Motorola is leading the way as likely the first cellular device vendor to retail its products via vending machines. Coming under the InstantMoto label, these automated outlets are due to open at 20 locations throughout the US, from airports to malls, starting November. These unmanned stores will carry over 25 Motorola products including the RAZR and Bluetooth-enabled headsets, with payment most likely to be via credit card. And no, the InstantMoto shops won't be heading our way, given the prolific number of neighborhood mobile phone stores.
Check out a larger image
Price: Depends on mobile device purchased
Availability: The US, in 20 locations, from November
Device: Vending machine
Basic specs: N.A.
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